Reviews of "Going to Tehran: Why the United States Must Come to Terms with the Islamic Republic of Iran"

Below are excerpts from short reviews of the book by Lt. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh, professor Anatol Lieven, and professor Andrew J. Bacevich. [Source: Amazon.com]

"One needn’t agree with every word in Flynt and Hillary Mann Leverett’s new book, Going to Tehran,
to grasp its basic truth: U.S. Iran policy is delusional. To shatter
this ‘sorry Scheme of Things,’ as the Persian poet describes it, will
require a U.S. President with courage, audacity and political skill. It
will also require a plan not too different from what the Leveretts lay
out."—Lawrence B. Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Secretary of State Colin Powell

"This
brilliant book eviscerates the American case for continued belligerence
toward Iran. The evidence of an Iranian bomb is just not there, the
Leveretts write, and American diplomacy should be focused on resolving
the conflict, and not expanding it. There is a precedent—Nixon and
Kissinger's stunning reversal of policy toward China in 1971 that
produced the Shanghai Communique, with its public call for mutual
respect and a reduction of tensions. It is time, the book concludes,
for an American president to reach for peace and go to Tehran." —Seymour Hersh, staff writer, The New Yorker

"This
courageous and important book contains the three elements that are
necessary for a rethinking of US policy towards Iran: a rigorous
critique of the intellectual foundations of present strategy; a
devastating expose of misreporting of Iran in the Western media; and a
set of bold ideas for how the present dangerous impasse in relations can
be broken. It should be essential reading for policymakers and
journalists alike."—Anatol Lieven, professor of War Studies, King's College London; senior fellow of the New America Foundation

"Armchair
warriors howling to have a go at Iran will denounce this book: you can
count on it. Those who have had a bellyful of needless wars will have a
different view. Going to Tehran is balanced, sober, impressively
documented, and rich in insight. As an antidote to the warmongering that
passes for analysis of Iran and US-Iranian relations, its appearance
could hardly be more welcome or more timely."—Andrew J. Bacevich, author of Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War

On their new website, Going To Tehran, Flynt Leverett and Hillary Mann Leverett write:

The next six-to-twenty-four months are likely to be an extremely
consequential period for U.S. policy toward the Islamic Republic of
Iran. We want both our new book and this blog to make the most
constructive contribution possible to American and international
discussion of how Washington should deal with Tehran. We invite all to
join the conversation.

The book is featured on ForeignPolicy.com's list, "What to Read in 2013." Margaret Slattery, the author of the list, says:

Former officials in the CIA,
State Department, and National Security Council between the two of them, Flynt
and Hillary Mann Leverett have long called for the United States to engage with
Iran. After heightened rhetoric from Israeli and U.S. politicians and
commentators in 2012, the Mann Leverett duo's sure to be controversial new book
argues that concerns about Iran's nuclear program have been overblown. The
country is ready for a change, they say, calling for a bold overture from the
United States akin to Richard Nixon's historic visit to China.